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Alex Brandsen

@alexbrandsen.nl
364 followers 201 following 40 posts

Interoperability project lead at TDCC-SSH, with a background in computational archaeology and machine learning. Builder of agnessearch.nl

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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 1h
Perhaps one of the few truly good results of the recent genAI developments is that we no longer get these fake "I forced a bot to watch 1000 hours of [tv show] and generate a script" memes.
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What could an open science community in The Hague look like? On 3 November, DANS, NIDI, and others bring together colleagues from organisations across The Hague to exchange ideas, share ongoing initiatives and explore what is needed locally. Join us: edu.nl/xpcrn Funded by @opensciencenl.bsky.social
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Finding archaeological data by location just became easier. DANS has added GeoNames to Data Station Archaeology, helping researchers describe locations consistently and improving the findability and reuse of data. Read more: edu.nl/e3ynn
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Lorna Richardson @lornarichardson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
CfP for our TAG Exeter session 'After the Election: Archaeology & Cultural Heritage in a Post-Reform UK'. Imagine it's 2029, Reform wins a landslide election victory, the Department for British Culture has oversight of all cultural output. What next for archaeology, museums & cultural heritage?
Screenshot of the call for papers for the session for Exeter TAG, which says:
This session imagines the archaeological and heritage implications of a Reform UK government following its victory at the 2029 general election. The newly created ‘Department for British Culture’ oversees urgent revisions to Britain’s heritage and cultural sectors, operating under a mandate to suppress ‘woke’ approaches to the past. Institutional overhauls are in progress at museums and archives, at National Trust properties, in media, and publishing, and the DfBC are revising how the past is taught in schools as part of the new ‘National Curriculum Reformed’. Government policies call for the withdrawal of funding from museums and heritage sites that address difficult histories, particularly those related to colonialism, the Atlantic slave trade, and migration. New national guidance has been issued that prioritises narratives of ‘traditional’ British culture, economic and wartime achievement, and Christian heritage.

This session seeks reflections on this imagined future, focused on its implications for the present:
Is this prediction accurate? To what extent? How can we better understand the structures and dynamics that shape the far-right framing and usage of the past? In what locales, and through what narratives, is the past mobilised towards far-right political goals? What about in 2029?
Can archaeologists contribute to avoiding a future such as this? Where are we going wrong? How might we prepare? What does activist-archaeologist resistance to far-right state power look like?
What are the political responsibilities of those who work with the past? How can we attempt to prevent political harms and marginalisation through our work? Conversely, should archaeology remain politically neutral?
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Harry Hol @harryhol.com · 21/08/2026
Het is al decennia een gegeven dat rechtse partijen absoluut niet met geld om kunnen gaan. Begrotingstekorten lopen meestal op onder rechts beleid. Armoede neemt toe. Inkomensongelijkheid groeit. Niet gek dat ze het intern ook niet kunnen.
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Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
laurenleek.substack.com/p/temperatur... An excellent and easily readable essay on the creeping effects of sameness on streets, music and culture as a whole (and the actual one weird regulatory trick to break out). Don’t let the graph image put you off, this is a good one.
laurenleek.substack.com
Temperature Zero for Culture: Why Everything Is Starting to Look the Same
What 640 London shopping streets, 4,000 Billboard hits, a million films and synthetic AI personas tell us about why everything is flattening into sameness and how to regulate the algorithms behind it.
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Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
slow day in the office so we're starting beef with archaeologists
One of those 'STOP DOING X' memes, ripping into archaeology. It has images of soil stratum, a trowel, and a flint shard. The text mocks archaeologists for digging for pottery sherds and saying everything has a 'ritual purpose'.
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Nicola Scheyhing M.A. @prehistoryteller.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Would you like to work at a Cluster of Excellence on Human Origins with an office in a medieval castle? Then I have THE job ad for you below! (Oh, and not to mention: it’s a FULL PROFESSORSHIP for Early Prehistory!) 🏺 #paleosky
Foto of a town with lots of greenery, a church tower is peaking trough the trees, and there is a castle on a hill in the background below a wide blue sky
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Wil Hoekstra🔻 @wilh.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Lezersbrief in de Volkskrant
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Anna Krijger @annakrijger.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Zo blij voor Shell 🥹🥰
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Doorbraak.eu @doorbraak.eu · 30/07/2026
#nieuwselders “De Tweede Kamer wou Antifa al als terroristische organisatie bestempelen, en nu ligt er een wetsvoorstel voor iets dat bijna een directe kopie is van de Terrorism Act. We waarschuwen er al langer voor: wat vandaag in het VK gebeurt, gebeurt morgen in Nederland.”
doorbraak.eu
XR-rebel: "Ik ben lid van een terroristische organisatie" (persbericht) | Doorbraak.eu
In Londen spreken vandaag honderden burgers hun steun voor de in het VK verboden organisatie Palestine Action uit. Onder hen bevinden zich twee Nederlandse rebellen van XR Justice Now! Ze riskeren een...
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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 26/07/2026
Good thing we don’t have a long history of people incorrectly projecting human traits on computers and overestimating what they’re really doing.
In computer science, the ELIZA effect is a tendency to project human traits—such as experience, semantic comprehension or empathy—onto rudimentary computer programs. ELIZA was a symbolic AI chatbot developed in 1966 by Joseph Weizenbaum that imitated a psychotherapist. Many early users were supposedly convinced of ELIZA's intelligence and understanding, despite its basic text-processing approach and the explanations of its limitations.
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 27/07/2026
Goed draadje!
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Spookably UnAwake @lamentablyawake.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Allowing genocidal ethnonationalists to define what Judaism and antisemitism are inevitably leading to the Jewishness of anyone who doesn't support genocidal ethnonationalism enthusiastically enough being denied.
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OccupyNederland @occupynederland.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Diep verankerd koloniaal racisme: waarom miniatuurbeeldjes van Hitler niet 'normaal' gevonden worden, maar van J.P. Coen wèl👇🏻 www.doorbraak.eu/diep-veranke... #Hoorn #Kolonialisme #Nationalisme #Racisme #RechtseOpiniemakers
doorbraak.eu
Diep verankerd koloniaal racisme: waarom miniatuurbeeldjes van Hitler niet 'normaal' gevonden worden, maar van J.P. Coen wèl | Doorbraak.eu
Enige tijd geleden verscheen in het Noordhollands Dagblad een artikel over het 3D-printen van replica’s van het standbeeld van de genocidepleger Jan Pieterszoon Coen in Hoorn. Afgelopen zaterdag werde...
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Agent of Chaos @fionacoward.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Senior Lecturer, spatial.and statistical analysis www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSG826/s...
jobs.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Spatial and Statistical Analysis at University of York
Discover an exciting academic career path as a Senior Lecturer in Spatial and Statistical Analysis at jobs.ac.uk. Don't miss out on this job opportunity - apply today!
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David Graeber Institute @davidgraeberinst.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
"It’s become fashionable lately to say that capitalism has entered a new phase in which it has become parasitical to forms of creative cooperation. This is nonsense. It has always been parasitical." - David Graeber
"It’s become fashionable lately to say that capitalism has entered a new phase in which it has become parasitical to forms of creative cooperation. This is nonsense. It has always been parasitical."

  - David Graeber
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Esheru @esherukweku.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
This happened in 1930s Germany, listen…
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Rick Buitenman @rickmb.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Reminder dat "verward persoon" een eenzijdig door de politie verzonnen vage categorie is, en geen juridisch of medisch begrip. Reminder dat de intramurale geestelijke gezondheidszorg bewust is gesloopt. Maar dat is allemaal toeval.
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Tom Humberstone @tomhumberstone.com · 16/07/2026
The Luddites were right by the way. They were violently suppressed by the military, working on behalf of the factory owners. Chartists and other activists took up the fight of Luddism to win us back worker rights. George, just have a read of this mate: tomhumberstone.com/luddites
tomhumberstone.com
I'm a Luddite (And So Can You!) | Tom Humberstone
I'm a Luddite (And So Can You!)
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Tom Humberstone @tomhumberstone.com · 16/07/2026
The Luddites loved technology. They owned looms at home and would ‘mod’ them to count threads. Their battle was against worker exploitation. The degradation of their rights, safety and wages. They were against a handful of rich businessmen owning the means of production. Sound familiar?
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 16/07/2026
We just published a recap of the TDCC interoperability event in Utrecht, where researchers, data professionals, and policy makers tackled the messy, human side of making data actually work together. 🔗 Read the full story: tdcc.nl/connecting-k... #Interoperability #OpenScience #ResearchData
tdcc.nl
Connecting Knowledge: Tackling Interoperability in Research - TDCC.nl
Authors: Walter Baccinelli, Vedran Kasalica, Kathrin Füllenbach, Dani Metilli, Alex Brandsen On 21st May 2026, a room full of researchers, data stewards, developers and research support organisations ...
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 15/07/2026
Ideeën (of juist zorgen!) over een LLM voor de Nederlandse archeologie? Vul dan de vragenlijst in! We nemen deze input mee in de ontwikkeling van TARA. Vragenlijst: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/s9S8buhqUJ Website: tara-llm.nl
forms.cloud.microsoft
Microsoft Forms
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 10/07/2026
We're building an LLM for Dutch Archaeology! With funding from Stichting Reuvens, I'm working with Archol and BAAC to create a RAG based system connecting an LLM to AGNES, making it possible to interrogate archaeological grey literature. See tara-llm.nl for more info (in Dutch)
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Piratenpartij Nederland @piratenpartij.nl · 02/07/2026
Universiteit Utrecht gaat na een datacenterbrand eigen mail, Linux-laptops en eOS-telefoons testen. Minder afhankelijk van Microsoft = meer digitale soevereiniteit én privacy. Precies waar de Piratenpartij al jaren voor pleit. Goed voorbeeld, hopelijk volgen meer instellingen!🏴‍☠️ #DigitaleAutonomie
nrc.nl
Universiteit Utrecht gaat proberen het mailverkeer (weer) zelf te regelen
De brand die in mei woedde in het datacentrum dat de Universiteit Utrecht gebruikt, had ook een gunstig effect. Het bracht intern mensen in beweging, vertelt Marije de Vries. Ze is ‘strategisch kwarti...
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Last week to apply for a position as Software Engineer at DANS. In this role you will develop FAIR data infrastructures and open science services in European projects such as EOSC Data Commons. You will work with Python, Linked Data and research data infrastructures. Apply by 6 July: edu.nl/efrdw
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Center for Open Science @cos.io · 29/05/2026
📢 APPLICATIONS OPEN: LMU Open Science Summer School. Deadline: July 6 Hybrid program with two tracks for early-career researchers: build practical open science skills or learn to teach open science. Keynote speakers include COS Senior Director of Research Tim Errington.
lmu-osc.github.io
LMU OSSS26
program and application process
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Asha @ashatenbroeke.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Laat me benadrukken wat code rood voor hitte betekent. Er zullen mensen sterven. Vooral zieke en oude mensen; ook jonge en gezonde. De extreme hitte komt door de klimaatcrisis, die voortduurt door politieke onwil. Die onwil is dodelijk. Kom in opstand (als het koeler is) Revolutie = self care ✊🌳
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 18/06/2026
A story in 2 parts...
A red sticker with the text "peeling me won't erase Palestine you idiot" on a blue backgroundThe remains of a peeled off red sticker, on a blue background
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 18/06/2026
Jealous, the lineup is pretty good this year! Have fun!
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Mel Andrews @bayesianboy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
When utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
European repositories can now apply for the FIDELIS Open Call on adopting trustworthy repository solutions. The programme combines expert guidance and financial support to help repositories strengthen preservation, privacy and service management practices. More information: edu.nl/xe77b
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Looking for social sciences research data in the Netherlands? On 11 June, Ricarda Braukmann introduces the ODISSEI Portal, a single interface for discovering nearly 10,000 datasets across institutions. Interested in improving findability and access? Register and join the session: edu.nl/n4nwv
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PCI Archaeology @pciarchaeology.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
1/3 New recommendation: Haley Anne Schwartz & Tania González Cantera (2026). Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Reliable Access Method for ChatGPT 4o in Archaeological Heritage Prompting). V3 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI #Archaeology doi.org/10.5281/zeno... 🏺🧪🦣 #OpenScience #openaccess
Figures 1, 2, and 3 from the manuscript: LDA results for the heritage tourism topic, obtained from the OpenAI, ELM, and Replit platforms, respectively.
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Dr. Ruth Marshall is still kicking against the pricks @wtfis2bdone.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Lmao. He’s triggered? Oh Ken. America should band together and send him millions of tiny guillotines all at once.
static.klipy.com
Miniature Guillotine Cuts a Carrot
Alt: Miniature Guillotine Cuts a Carrot
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alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
this is why, when we win, we gotta win all the way.
Bronze ingots from the melted-down Robert E. Lee statue are also part of the L.A. exhibition. Image courtesy of Jalane Schmidt.
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Data retention is more than a setting. In this session, Kristine Racina and Laura Huis in ’t Veld will explore with participants how retention relates to policy, responsibilities and long-term availability within DataverseNL. How does your organisation approach retention? Register: edu.nl/vj4q7
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Old Man Greef @greef.eurosky.social · 05/05/2026
Links gaat helemaal nooit geen enkele verkiezing winnen als ze de hele tijd geschrokken naar de parelketting grijpen als er iemand met een bus verf de stad in gaat en er ondertussen extreemrechtse knokploegen met een herdenkingsmars meelopen. GOD. VER. DOMME.
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 30/04/2026
Very cool indeed! And glad to see you could re-use your phd defense presentation ;)
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 29/04/2026
Wellicht zijn de panda's een soort horcrux voor het neoliberalisme; zodra de laatste weg is kunnen we eindelijk richting Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism? *duimt*
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Nadia Bouras @nadiabouras.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Het is totaal bezopen dat een primetime talkshow een Telegraaf-schrijver en een Nederlandse ex-Mossad-agent uitgebreid aan het woord laat, terwijl diezelfde krant die dag in opspraak komt vanwege het verspreiden van Israëlische propaganda en de presentator daar met geen woord naar vraagt.
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DANS @dans-knaw-nwo.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Nominations are still open for the 2026 Sarah Jones Award! This RDA award recognises individuals or teams who advance collaboration in open science and data stewardship. DANS proudly supports it, with @Ingrid Dillo on the selection committee. Nominate by 14 June 2026: edu.nl/ej78u
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 20/04/2026
The materials presume no background knowledge or programming skills, so it's suitable for anyone with an interest in the topic. The whole workshop runs in your browser, so you don't need to install anything either. If you have feedback, please let me know!
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Alex Brandsen @alexbrandsen.nl · 20/04/2026
Last week, I gave a 45 min workshop on Text Mining in archaeology, at the ARCHON Research School of Archaeology research day. The slides and practical are available on my github if anyone wants to do or give the workshop: github.com/alexbrandsen...
github.com
GitHub - alexbrandsen/ARCHON-text-mining-workshop-2026: ARCHON 45 minute text mining workshop
ARCHON 45 minute text mining workshop. Contribute to alexbrandsen/ARCHON-text-mining-workshop-2026 development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Ronald Visser @ronaldvisser.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
The proceedings of @caaint.bsky.social in 2023 are finally out! Proud of our nice book that brings together many different themes. All papers are recommended through @pciarchaeology.bsky.social
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CAA International @caa-int.archaeo.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/04/2026
OUT NOW! Advances in Digital Archaeology: Proceedings of the 2023 conference Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology – 50 years of synergy 📚 Read online for free or purchase a printed copy at www.sidestone.com/books/advances-in…
Cover of the CAA2023 Proceedings. A blue cover with a 3D digital model of stone structure superimposed on a background showing a stylised blue network map. The text reads "Advances in Digital Archaeology. Proceedings of rhe 2023 conference Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology - 50 years of synergy. Edited by J.W.H.P. Verhagen, J. Waagen, A. Brandsen, A. Queffelec, R.M. Visser & D. Taelman."
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Jan ten Cate @jantencate.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Weer een artikel vanuit de geprivilegieerde (wit)ivoren toren. Ten eerste het idee dat we sowieso dieren moeten houden. De optie om dat niet te doen komt niet in de schrijver op. Als over slavernij dit soort artikelen zijn geschreven zijn dan kijken we daar nu met schaamte op terug. (1/3)
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Colleen Morgan @clmorgan.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Émilie is talking about this initiative today at Digital Lunch, at 1pm GMT. Sign up to get the link: forms.gle/oQ8CQQua1G8j...
forms.gle
Digital Lunches at the University of York
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Despoina V. Sampatakou @archaeobruja.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
All the cool kids will be there 🤩
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